Posts Tagged ‘
bullet cameras’

Infrared bullet cameras are just one of the varieties of camera that can include high quality infrared technology video images. Bullet cameras are made for use indoors or outdoors which makes them a fairly versatile component of a digital video security system.

There are three basic types of digital video cameras based on shape, and so named because of their shape. They are the box camera, the bullet camera, and the dome camera.

The box camera is basically a rectangular shaped body with no lens, no weatherproofing, or mounting hardware. At first, this may seem as a disadvantage for box cameras however they are made this way on purpose. The lens, housing, and other add-ons give the box camera its versatility because by adding these things you can customize the box camera to meet your particular situation.

The dome camera is not a new idea, however the technological advancements in computers and other electronics have allowed the camera to be placed inside a relatively small dome; and that is new. Dome cameras come in indoor types or indoor/outdoor types. They too can use infrared illumination for creating highly detailed images in total darkness.

Infrared bullet cameras are so named because their shape appears like a large bullet. Bullet cameras are normally indoor/outdoor by design and are usually set up for infrared video capture as well. Bullet cameras are normally used in low vandalism areas as the cameras are easy to reposition and are not vandal proof.

bullet cameras are normally encased in a weatherproof fashion so no extra weatherproof housing is required. Infrared bullet cameras normally have plenty of room between the lens and the camera casing for placing infrared Light Emitting Diodes or LEDs. The infrared light produced by these LEDs works like a flood light lighting up an entire area. However, humans cannot see this part of the electromagnetic spectrum so it doesn’t appear to us as anything at all.

Generally these LEDs are placed around the lens inside the bullet casing but there are some models that come with a sidebar of IR LEDs or are attached to illuminators that look just like the bullet camera. However, there is no camera in the illuminators at all but rather a great amount of LEDs for night time applications.

This brings us to an important side note. Every infrared camera has a range in total darkness. The range is normally based on the amount of infrared light IR LEDs can shed in an area and how far they will reach. Almost every infrared camera including infrared bullet cameras usually list an infrared range in their specifications. Make sure you check the IR range on a camera before purchasing it to save you a lot of grief. You don’t want to purchase and infrared bullet camera with a range of 30 feet when the subject you are capturing is at 50 feet.

Security Camera King has several different models of infrared bullet cameras for you to choose from.

Product# OB-LX420IR50

This is a 420 TVL resolution camera with and IR distance maximum of about 65 feet. It utilizes 23 infrared LEDs and is encased in aluminum. It comes with its own board lens which is 3.6mmat F2.0.

Product# OB-LX550IR120

This is a high resolution, 550 TVL weatherproof infrared bullet camera that has a maximum IR distance of about 120 feet. This camera is about the middle of the road for resolution.

Product# TPB-70IR48

This is top of the line as good as it gets for resolution. This camera is rated at an astounding 650 TVL during daylight hours and 700 TVL at night and has and IR range of approximately 120 feet.

Product# OB-LX550IR150L922

This is another middle of the road resolution cameras touting 550 TVL and an IR distance of 200feet. One of the major differences on this camera is its built in varifocal lens. At 9 – 22 mm the varifocal lens allows you to get a very tight shot.

Product# SVB-60IRC28L3516D

This camera has a 550 TVL color (daytime) resolution and a 600 TVL black and white (infrared nighttime) resolution. It also comes with a wealth of features such as Wide Dynamic Range, On Screen Display, and backlight compensation.

Product# TPS-QLBAZ1

This is another top of the line camera. It features 650 TVL, auto zoom, and true day/night color at night video. This camera does not fall into the strict definition of infrared bullet cameras as it uses available light to create its video images.

Digital video security cameras may need CCTV housings, especially if they will be placed outdoors or in a potentially violent or hazardous environment. Though some cameras are made with protective Closed Circuit Television or CCTV housings, other may require that you install your camera in one before mounting.

Security Camera King offers a wide selection of outdoor cameras and CCTV housings. Normally when a digital video camera is marketed as an “outdoor” camera, it comes from the manufacturer with its own protective housing for use outdoors. However, some outdoor cameras still require CCTV housings under certain conditions.

You may have noticed that certain CCTV housings or outdoor cameras are accompanied by an IP rating that usually looks something like this: IP56. This is actually a rating based on a standard created by the International Electrotechnical Commission or EIC. This rating was designed to provide consumers and manufacturers with a more precise yet standardized method of describing the protection that is offered to an electronic device, in this case of course, the digital video security camera.

The IP rating or sometimes called the IP code stands for International Protection Rating or Ingress Protection Rating. Some times the rating may include a letter after the two digits, but that is seldom seen in reference to CCTV housings or cameras and is really irrelevant for these applications. The two digits following the “IP” however, do have a meaning. Let’s take a closer look.

The first digit of the IP rating represents the degree of protection offered against solid material. This digit’s range is from 0 to 6, with 0 indicating no protection whatsoever and 6 meaning the CCTV housing is absolutely dust tight. For a sense of the rating, a 2 means protection against ingress of objects greater than 12.5 mm such as fingers or other objects.

The second digit of the IP rating represents the degree of protection offered against liquid material. The digit range in this category is from 0 to 8, again with 0 indicating no protection whatsoever from liquids. A rating of 8 however, indicates that the CCTV housing can with stand immersion in water beyond 1 meter in depth. Once again for a sense of the rating, a 4 means protection against splashing water against the housing from any direction shall have no harmful effect on the camera. A good IP rating for a CCTV housing is at least IP55.

Dome and Bullet type digital video security cameras are the most likely models to be manufactured with their own “built-in” or perhaps more accurately, “built-on” CCTV housings. Likewise, these cameras are also most likely to be marketed as “outdoor” or “indoor/outdoor” use cameras.

Security Camera King carries many different types of indoor/outdoor dome cameras including those whose CCTV housings are classified as “vandal proof.” Outdoor dome cameras are often installed in vulnerable locations; that is, since they are the most visible component of a digital video system they are usually installed in areas of high risk (if the system’s layout is designed correctly). These cameras come with a strong metal housing, no visible screws (that could otherwise be maliciously undone), and very strong Lexan domes.

Most of our bullet-shaped cameras come with their own CCTV housings and are marketed as indoor/outdoor types. Bullet cameras are typically used outdoors in areas of low-risk vandalism because the cameras can maliciously be repositioned rather easily.

Box cameras are very popular cameras; however they usually offer no weatherproofing CCTV housings or mounting hardware. If these cameras are purchased with the intent to use them outdoors, you’ll want to purchase you’ll want to purchase our Metal CCTV Security Camera Outdoor Housing with Mount (product # OUTDOOR_HOUSING).

However, if your box camera will be used outdoors in extremely cold climates, you’ll risk fog and condensation forming inside the housing and on the camera lens. In this particular case, you may want to consider purchasing Security Camera King’s Outdoor Camera Housing with Heater and Blower (product# OUTDOOR-HEATED-HOUSING) for just a few dollars more.

Finally, we should mention that we also offer a very large variety of explosion proof CCTV housings and mounting brackets. Explosion proof housings prevent any volatile and potentially flammable vapors from coming in contact with the camera’s electrical components which could cause the gas to ignite. These housings are also made of hardened stainless steel that is able to withstand severe weather conditions. These are excellent for use in any area where extreme security measures are required.

In this article we will talk about evaluations of camera security systems and what you need to do and know to perform your own evaluations of camera security systems.

Evaluation of camera security systems can be difficult to do comparatively because of subtle differences in manufacturers’ digital video systems; so when trying to determine what system type or component to purchase, consider performing your own needs assessment first. Then search for the equipment that satisfies those requirements. Finally, you can compare different manufacturers’ or vendors’ brand offerings and prices.

Let’s cover the basics of performing a needs assessment based on the technological capabilities of digital video camera security systems. In order to make things a little easier to compare, we’ll break up the system into its three component parts and consider each component separately.

A typical digital video camera security system consists of one or more digital video cameras, the Digital Video Recorder or DVR, and a monitor. We will confine our evaluations of camera security systems here to standalone systems only.

First, determine what you need to protect or monitor. A room, a building, land, property located outside or inside, a parking lot, people, shoppers, cash register or teller areas, etc. Once you know exactly what you need to record, you can move on to deciding how you will record it. This is where the expertise of a professional installer is particularly helpful. An experienced installer can assess your situation and determine the precise placement and minimum number of cameras needed to do the job.

Once you know how many cameras are required, you can begin to narrow your evaluations of camera security systems. Generally speaking, the maximum number of cameras in a system determines the type of DVR that you will need. Customary DVR camera configurations include four, eight, and sixteen potential cameras (Note: The number of cameras is also referred to as “channels” which is not to be confused with another use of the word “channels” that describes specific radio frequencies). If a system requires more than sixteen cameras additional DVRs are used to satisfy the need.

So let’s assume our system will require seven cameras. We now know we will need an 8 channel DVR, but we aren’t ready to select the DVR just yet. Now let’s go back to the cameras. Of our seven cameras we know that four will be used outside and three will be used inside.

Now you must ask yourself what kind of digital video monitoring do you need? Do you require full time (24/7) day and night, do you track or follow objects (cars and people for example), and is audio required, and so on. Once you know the exact requirements of the camera you can determine exactly what type of camera you will need.

Let’s assume we need four outdoor, wireless, night vision infrared digital color cameras with a motion detector. These cameras will also be battery operated. In addition, we’ll need three indoor cameras without any special functions. However, we do need to determine how we will mount these cameras so we know what type of camera we will need for each of the seven cameras (dome, bullet, or box type cameras).

In performing your evaluation of camera security systems for this set-up you will also need to purchase a four channel receiver unit (a receiver unit that can accept four camera inputs and receive each on a separate frequency). This unit will be attached to the DVR. Speaking of which, we can now return to the DVR to consider what to purchase.

We know we need an 8 channel DVR. Do you want to be able to record for long periods of time without erasing over pre-recorded monitoring? If so, you should consider a DVR with a large capacity hard drive. Do you want to make copies of files on DVDs/CDs or other media? Do you need the DVR to connect to the internet? These questions will help determine the type of DVR you require.

Finally, ask yourself what type of monitor you will need. Will the monitor be used for setting up the system and occasional use or will the monitor be watched the majority of the time? (Monitors used for setup can be very small; monitors that will be used frequently should be large enough to view all seven cameras clearly).

After considering what we need, we can now perform evaluations of camera security systems to determine the best prices and products for our application.